Problem: It's 2020 and you're a German carmaker trying to develop Level 3 autonomous cars. German law says you're free to test them on the autobahn, but the maximum speed allowed is 60 kph, which is about 37 mph. Normally not a problem, but then the world got whacked by COVID-19. Massive lockdowns mean no one is going to the office or school or anywhere. No traffic means you literally cannot test your product on public roads. Großes Problem für Mercedes!
Solution: L.A., baby! Yes, even at the absolute height of the pandemic, there was still plenty of traffic to be found in Southern California. Have you gone from the 110 to the 101 in Downtown? Additionally, as Level 3 autonomy is not Level 4, you can't let the car drive itself at night or during inclement weather. It rains all the time near Stuttgart, and during winter you have six hours of daylight. Here in Los Angeles? It's rained three times (more or less) since the NBA canceled its first game in March 2020, and even in the depths of winter, we're talking nearly 10 hours of California sunshine per day. "Suddenly I was the most popular member of the team," says Lucas Bolster, the L.A.-based senior system development engineer sitting next to me in the driver's seat of the S580 Drive Pilot. Notice I said "sitting next to me"? Even though we're slogging through morning rush hour on the 10 West, he's not driving the car.
Twenty minutes earlier, we'd left the Proper Hotel in Santa Monica at approximately 9:15 in the morning, headed east on the Santa Monica Freeway, a.k.a. the 10. This is key because although fewer than 90,000 people live in Santa Monica, (it seems like) half of Los Angeles works there. Yes, we had to go hunting for traffic. "I know this is weird," Bolster said, "but welcome to my life." Ten minutes later, we were turned around and virtually parked on the 10 headed toward the ocean, the Mercedes itself not only doing all the driving but also assuming all the liability. Yes, you read that right. Meaning that Bolster and I were free to watch a video on the S580's screen! Hey, if the car is doing all the hard work, why not? Besides, the film was Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius talking about the very car we were currently passengering in. Sehr Inception.
What happens if there's an event where the Drive Pilot no longer feels like it should be driving? There are several situations where the car will try to give control (and liability) back to the driver. For instance, when driving next to a construction site or an accident, or if it gets dark or starts raining or snowing. The car does several things to try to get the driver to take back control of the car, including but not limited to a warning message, tugging on the shoulder belt, and vibrating the steering wheel. But here's the thing: Drive Pilot doesn't quit. Again, Level 3 autonomy maintains total control while active. Not the person who just so happens to be sitting behind the steering wheel. So, if you've had some sort of medical emergency, Drive Pilot does not simply turn off. Instead, the car turns on its hazards and slowly comes to a stop in its lane.
Do other cars currently on sale do something similar if the driver can't retake control of the car? Sure, Nissan's ProPilot Assist and GM's SuperCruise do exactly that, just to name a couple. But the driver is not the liable party in this case; Mercedes has taken a massive step forward in accepting liability while Drive Pilot holds the reins. That's an almost tectonic difference. Also, there are plenty of Level 2 cars on sale that just up and quit when they "feel" like it. I'm looking at you, Tesla, though plenty of other systems simply deactivate (i.e. quit) when the going gets rough. With Mercedes' Drive Pilot? Once engaged, it won't turn itself off.
The system also has several redundancies and processes built into it. For instance, the car is constantly downloading 3-D maps of the roads it drives on. Similar to GM's SuperCruise, Mercedes' implementation of Level 3 is geofenced. That means the driver can only activate it on specific roads. Here in California, that means freeways. However, just because you hit activate doesn't mean Drive Pilot instantly turns on. Instead, it makes sure the maps are up to date. What do these 3-D maps do? Let's say one lane on a given freeway is closed for construction 5 miles ahead. If you happen to be in the lane that will eventually disappear, the system won't activate. As of now, Drive Pilot cannot change lanes on its own. Also, the power steering, brakes, and power supplies all have redundancies.
Bolster mentioned to me that the car's "ODD" was getting larger all the time. I looked at him cross-eyed, as I had no idea what he was saying. He explained that "ODD" stands for Operational Driving Domain. That's the area where a given level of autonomy can function within. So, assuming that Mercedes and the Golden State can come to an agreement, Drive Pilot's Level 3 ODD would be geofenced roads within California. If Arizona is a fast-follower legislatively, the ODD would expand to two states. Let's say that Washington came on board next. That would mean a Drive Pilot-equipped Benz could go Level 3 through California, switch back to Level 2 through Oregon, then back to Level 3 once in Washington. In that case, the ODD has expanded, it's just not contiguous. Level 4 autonomy—which is basically a fancier Level 3 but with more sensors and computing power—will grow the ODD even larger, as it should allow cars to drive on city streets.
Los Angeles has a long history as the global hub of automotive culture. Now, thanks to our , and autonomy-friendly regulations, it's helping to guide the future of cars, as well.